2009 Dodge Ram

Last one for today since its late...since I already did two trucks...here's another one.


Introduction: As I mentioned last time about the history of this truck this is the current generation of Dodge trucks and was redesigned in 2009 in hopes to revive itself. Timing of this truck did not look so good with the price of fuel being very high when this truck was announced. Fortunately for Dodge the high fuel prices would eventually be much lower and thus not hurt this truck's launch so badly.

At this point I've driven so many Chryslers and Dodge vehicles that when I heard of the new Ram I wasn't really interested. By this point most of the vehicles that came from this company I either thought was poorly done or was truly awful. I didn't think much of the last Ram meaning this one had to do much better.


Performance: Like before the Dodge Ram had a big list of engines to choose from. This time only 1 Cummins diesel, a V6 and 2 V8s. Like last time its the 5.7L Hemi V8 that was given to the truck I drove. This time however somehow the truck is much faster than the last one. 7.6 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h. A reason for this is the engine is more powerful this time at 390 hp and 407 lb.ft of torque which is incredible amounts of power. The sound is still very nice like the previous truck. Maybe things are looking up for Dodge.

My Score: 9/10 - A very powerful truck with an engine that matches.

Handling: I remember the last Ram did a pretty poor job in this category. Well I can gladly say that this Ram has done a much better job. The steering feel is back and as a result you can drive this truck with less worry about turning the wheel aimlessly. The cornering is also a bit better but the ride quality has improved. All in all this truck did much much better than the last one.

My Score: 7/10 - Handling isn't fantastic but good enough with better ride quality and its brought back steering feel.


Interior: This is normally the biggest weakness in all of the Chryslers I've driven so far. Is this new Ram going to be any different? Yes...yes it has. Honestly I'm starting to understand why the rest of the cars have such awful interiors...Dodge hoarded the entire interior budget for this truck only. There are still bits of Chrysler cheapness like the aerosol plastic on the console but significantly less than any modern Chrysler. The best touches is really the screen on the dash, I didn't expect such a nice looking screen from a company like Chrysler. On their most luxurious car...its display screen was less impressive than a Cobalt's. This truck has the nicest interior of the full size trucks right now. That said entry into this beast is still not easy. These are built in the United States, only the Mega cabs are built in Mexico.

My Score: 8/10 - A very good interior, well equipped but there's still some cheapness left in it.

Value for money: Unlike the last truck where I didn't really see a reason to buy one, this one has quite a few reasons going for it. The engine is much better than last time, the interior quality is clearly the best...which is a rarity for Chrysler these days and it actually drives very nicely. This one has a lot more going for it and has probably forced the competition to design much better trucks.

My Score: 8/10 - This is the newest of the trucks and clearly Dodge put much more development money into this truck than anything else.

Styling: Another mild change over the last Ram. The biggest difference is...this Ram is even larger than the old already massive enough Ram. This truck is pretty much monster like with its dimensions and the way it looks. I'm certain just the styling is enough to convince someone to buy these beasts.

My Score: 8/10 - A mild update of an already good looking vehicle.

Overall: 40/50 - A good product from Chrysler? Yes its true...but as you can see this is where all of the company's money went to.

2008 Dodge Ram

As I mentioned in the Canyon review I did drive the Dodge trucks and here's the big one first.


Introduction: The Dodge Ram is the youngest of the full sized pickup trucks but it started back in 1981. While pretty similar to both GM and Ford's trucks in size and power, Dodge had a very clever deal with Cummins. Cummins makes diesel engines for mostly heavy duty vehicles like buses and trucks and somehow allowed Dodge to use their diesel engines. Unlike petroleum powered vehicles, diesels have smaller power bands thus while not being particularly great at acceleration when they get going they produce very high amount of torque despite the engine not running nearly as fast as an equivalent petroleum engine producing such power. This also gives it a fuel economy advantage since diesel fuel does not burn as quickly.

When I saw the Dodge Ram, the vehicle was so massive in size I really wondered how I could get up into the thing. I couldn't tell what's wrong in the engine bay since all I see is a radiator with my height. Still I was excited since this thing is a massive beast and I was hoping it would be better than the Dakota.


Performance: This version of the Dodge Ram has a staggering amount of engines to choose from, 8 to be exact. Two of these are the Cummins diesels, 1 V6 and the remaining are all V8s including the Hemi V8 which is the engine I had in this Ram. This Hemi is the 5.7L V8 producing 345 hp and 375 lb.ft of torque. Considering all of the cars I've so far reviewed this is clearly the most powerful. It doesn't accelerate the quickest however since it posts a 0-60 time of about 9.5 seconds since the one I drove had the 4WD. It sounds great though.

My Score: 7/10 - For so much power, its been defeated by weight and 4WD. Still it does sound nice.

Handling: Like the Canyon I do treat the trucks a bit differently, they don't quite have the same advantages that cars get since trucks are supposed to be very long, wide and strong. As a result they're heavy and as a consequence do not handle very well despite being RWD based. As for the Ram the handling is more sluggish than I expected even for a pick up truck. First thing is despite the giant sized wheel the power steering overpowers it and the feel you'd expect is missing making it seemed detached. Secondly I do understand its a full size truck but its ability to corner is pretty disappointing. So this truck doesn't do too well.

My Score: 3/10 - Sluggish and feels very detached from what your doing


Interior: Like before I don't expect much from the interior it should be pretty basic after all. The Ram's interior is pretty basic as well. That said the materials are the same very cheap materials used in all Chryslers at this time and this does not make it look very good. With an uninviting interior to go along with the basic nature of pick up trucks it doesn't look very good. Entry into this truck is very bad, I literally need to jump in this one since there's no step into it, you have to hope you can reach the handle near the door to get in. These trucks are built in either the United States or Mexico, minor build quality issues so far from the US vehicles.

My Score: 4/10 - Poor entry, cheap materials but otherwise basic interior.

Value for Money: The Ram competes against 3 true rivals, the Silverado, the F-series and the Toyota Tundra. Unless you want your pickup truck have a Hemi engine or you want it to have a Cummins diesel...I really don't see why the Ram will be on the top of your list. I guess it does look better than the rest as well.

My Score: 5/10 - Not a great value all things considered unless you want a good diesel.

Styling: The Dodge Ram in this version didn't change all that much from the previous generation. What it did change was the perception of how big it is. In the pictures it does look big enough already, the thing is...its even more enormous once you've seen it. It does look pretty handsome for a truck and with its size looks very strong too.

My Score: 8/10 - A good looking truck.

Overall: 27/50 - Not a particularly great truck all things considered.

2008 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon

Time for a few new additions to the growing amount of reviews on cars. This update will include pick up trucks, keep in mind I have absolutely no idea what's necessary from a pickup truck on a farm, I assume power is very important and durability(which I can't test without being fired) all I can test are their road manners and whether its a decent idea(they get incredible rebates) or a stupid idea to get one as a road car. First one up, the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon. I'll just refer to it as the Canyon since there's less typing...I didn't notice a single difference apart from badges.


Introduction: The GMC Canyon was introduced in 2004 to replace the old GMC Sonoma/Chevrolet S10 which was introduced since 1982 but unlike cars was only updated once in 1995. Facing increased competition particularly from Toyota and Nissan, the Canyon will likely be updated much more often than the old Sonoma. Something that didn't get transferred from the older truck was the SS edition for the S10s, neither Colorado or Canyon have any special performance editions.

When I saw this truck, I've driven the Dodges by that point and don't quite have a high opinion of them. So when I was going to drive the Canyon I sort of had a slightly biased opinion against it, despite knowing that GM cars are better than Chryslers...I still wasn't sure about pickup trucks and that driving one of these will clear this up.


Performance: The Canyon gets a selection of 5 engines...I've only had exposure to one engine being the 3.7L I5, yes I typed that right its a 5-cylinder. The other selections are 2 I4 engines, another I5(a 3.5) and the 5.3L V8. As a rule of thumb, the more powerful the truck the more useful and I'm guessing the I4s are best used as inexpensive farm transportation. For carrying and pulling things you'll need at least the I5s. I'm not sure why they didn't go for an I6 since the Trailblazer already uses that. The I5 is reasonably powerful moving a pretty small truck, although its not the smoothest unit due to the odd number of cylinders, so its not balanced. That said I've driven accelerates to 100 km/h in about 8.2 seconds. That's not great but its a truck so its heavier than a typical car.

My Score: 6/10 - The engine is reasonably powerful, but isn't smooth nor that quick.

Handling: I understand this is a truck and that handling isn't their strong suit. Driving one of these things was pretty stable and the ride quality actually doesn't suffer all that much. Its no luxury sedan but its better than what Dodge could manage. The wheel has very good feedback and turns feel pretty natural. Its ability to corner is pretty similar to trying to corner a big heavy car so you do know that is a good idea to slow down.

My Score: 7/10 - For a truck, the ride was decent and didn't seem as awful as I was used to


Interior: The biggest thing about pick up truck interiors is you shouldn't expect luxuries. The best you can hope for is something functional and not totally depressing. I guess the Colorado does this, the seats are decent and...umm it has power options. I can't really describe any more since its just so basic and what you'd expect. This truck is made in the United States, I haven't seen any faults in the build quality yet although there's little in it for the interior to go wrong. Since this is a smaller pick up truck its easier to get in it.

My Score: 5/10 - A basic interior, nothing more nothing less.

Value for Money: This one is a bit more tricky for me, the Canyon is about the same price as a Camry. If you wanted a basic rugged road vehicle and intend to go off-roading then you'll definitely want a pick up truck more than a 4-door sedan. Against the other trucks its got the best engine selection choice from I4, I5 to V8 so it is the more versatile.

My Score: 6/10 - Its good good engine choices and isn't too expensive to buy

Styling: I do like the way the Canyon looks in both badge forms, but somehow the GMC badge makes it a tad bit better. Maybe it goes better with the grille, I don't know. The headlight setup is actually quite interesting but the rear is pretty standard.

My Score: 7/10 - Nice headlight set up, on an otherwise standard looking pickup truck.

Overall: 31/50 - A decent pickup truck on the road, nothing particularly outstanding though other than having a V8 option.